Today, in the Air Force the dental profession can open the door to
a fulfilling, rewarding and professional career. If you are thinking
about a career in dental assisting or you are already working in this
field, there are many opportunities to expand or branch out and really
make a difference.

I never considered the dental field when deciding what to do with
my life; it kind of fell into my lap, so to speak. I started working in
the medical field as a chiropractic assistant when I was 16. When my
husband and I married, we moved away and I started working for an
orthodontist as the front desk attendant. This is where it all started.
After a year of working for the orthodontist, I decided to join the
military. My first two job choices were medical technician and dental
assistant. Soon I learned I had been selected for the dental assisting
career field. I would report to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas to
begin my training.

I worked as a dental assistant for 14 years; I started out as a new
airman working in the general dentistry section. My hard work was
recognized when I was selected for promotion to senior airman (E-4)
Below the Zone six months earlier than originally projected. Next, I was
selected to assist in the Advanced Education in general dentistry
residency program where I worked for the next year. This increased my
interest in dentistry, so I asked to work in the oral surgery
department, where I was assigned for eight years. During that time, I
continued to advance and was selected for promotion to Staff Sergeant
(E-5) and later to Technical Sergeant (E-6).

My desire was to become a nurse practitioner; I was taking classes
to reach this goal, utilizing tuition assistance offered by the Air
Force, which was paying for 75 percent of my schooling at that time. I
was one year from completing all of the courses required to apply for
nursing school, when the Air Force began offering the Dental Hygiene
Training Scholarship Program.

This scholarship offers a two year associate degree program. Dental
assistants who have completed all the prerequisites, maintain
professional standards and have a record of outstanding performance are
eligible to apply. This is a very selective program and only accepts 10
qualified Air Force candidates annually. With encouragement from my
leadership, fellow hygienists and dentists, I applied. I learned I was
selected as an alternate; however a few months later, I was notified
that one of the candidates had dropped out, and I was now filling their
slot. I had one month to get things together and move to St. Petersburg,
Florida, to attend St. Petersburg College, one of the two schools the
Air Force partnered with for this program.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The school was very intense. Even though I already had 14 years of
experience working in the dental field, they started at ground level. I
thought I knew how to "clean" teeth, which we learned quickly,
was not the proper terminology to use when referring to our profession.
There was so much I didn't know and I had so much to learn. Though
the program was challenging, it was also a lot of fun. We worked hard
and we played hard. I was so proud of myself when I walked across that
stage and received my diploma. I was now a dental hygienist.

After graduation, I received an assignment to Tinker Air Force Base
in Oklahoma. I arrived and immediately took over as the Non-Commissioned
Officer in Charge of Preventive Dentistry. Shortly thereafter, I was
sent to the preventive dentistry course in San Antonio, Texas. While
there I was partnered with periodontists, fellow hygienists and
dentists. We discussed our clinics' practices and brainstormed
ideas to improve them. It was a great experience and I brought newfound
knowledge back to my clinic, but I didn't stop there.

St. Petersburg College offered one of the first on-line
baccalaureate programs in dental hygiene, and now the Air Force was
paying 100 percent of my tuition. Less than one year after graduation, I
had enrolled back in St. Petersburg College for 18 more months of
school. Working full-time in the Air Force and raising two children made
it difficult, but all the more rewarding when I completed my
bachelor's degree. Along with this degree, came another associates
degree, and I was also selected for promotion to Master Sergeant (E-7).

The feeling of accomplishment was so addicting, I began looking
into other avenues to broaden my horizons. I loved practicing dental
hygiene, held two state licensures, and volunteered for community
pro-bono work. I still felt that I needed to incorporate more into my
career. I began researching master's degree programs in Public
Health/Epidemiology. I decided on one from Kaplan University, which was
another 18 month on-line program. After recently completing one 18 month
online program, I had no doubt that I could tackle this too. I am now
three classes from completion and will graduate this September.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Along the way, I found it is very important to be a part of a
professional organization that supports your career, such as the ADA,
ADAA or ADHA. They fight for your profession and lobby for you in
congress, but they need support from their member's to keep the
organization going strong. As a student, the ADHA offered us a
discounted membership, giving us a preview of what to expect of our
future careers as hygienists. It also demonstrated what role their
organization plays in our profession. We even had one of our fellow
classmates lobby at the annual meeting in Orlando. She brought back
information and passed her experience on to the class. Unfortunately,
many of us allowed our memberships to lapse, including me. I reassessed
how important it was to continue my membership and recently had it
renewed. I will continue to be an advocate and encourage others to do
the same.

Even though this is a small snapshot of my Air Force career, I hope
I have helped at least one person understand the importance of expanding
their education. Whether you enjoy working as a dental assistant, aspire
to become a hygienist or even a dentist, go for it. You can do anything
if you set your mind to it.

Master Sergeant Tracey A. Domingue is a Dental Hygienist assigned
to the 72d Dental Squadron, Tinker AFB, OK. She is the Noncommissioned
officer in charge of preventive dentistry. Sergeant Domingue is from
Troy, IL, and is married with two children. Her career in the Air Force
began as a dental assistant in 1992. She was selected for the Air Force
Dental Hygiene Scholarship Program and attended St. Petersburg College,
St. Petersburg, Florida. Sergeant Domingue graduated in May of 2007 with
an Associate in Applied Science and was awarded her Registered Dental
Hygienist (RDH) status upon completion of her written and clinical board
examinations. She currently holds a license in the state of Florida and
Oklahoma.